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Mother reflects on free-spirited daughter two years after fatal wrong-way crash

Willow Yon was killed by a drunk driver on US-131 in 2022. But that's not how her mother wants you to remember her.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Nearly two years after her daughter’s death, Denise Yon says she wants everyone to know Willow’s true story.

Willow Yon was killed in a wrong-way crash by a drunk driver on US-131 in 2022.

Denise says her daughter is more than that, she was a fashionista since the day she was born.

She took pride in her collection of shoes.

“She felt that once she could afford really expensive shoes, she had made it. she went to prom all four years, homecoming all four years, and she had the most beautiful dresses,” said Denise.

But her creativity didn’t stop with her clothes, it flowed into her hands through her artwork.

During her interview with 13 ON YOUR SIDE, Denise showed a piece of artwork that Willow created.

“If you zoom in, you can see this is actually Detroit, and this way down here is Fowlerville. To me it just shows where she was going,” said Denise.

Unfortunately, that dream and Willow’s life were cut short when she was killed.

Credit: Courtesy of Willow Yon's family
Willow Yon, age 21, died in a wrong-way crash in Grand Rapids.

“Getting that phone call kind of just was the first moment of destroying our family,” said Denise.

It was a moment Denise said she couldn’t believe and even thought the doctor was pulling a prank on her.   

“I kept accusing him that he was lying until he said ‘I massaged your daughter's heart with my own hands’, and I know that that is the last effort they'll try. And then I knew this was not a pretend phone call or a prank of any kind,” said Denise.

But in that dark time, Denise says something came to light; Willow's true impact on the world around her.

It started with the memories of Willow and how she cared for those around her.

Denise showed 13 ON YOUR SIDE pictures of Willow making funny faces.

“Like this one here that I have, she's making a silly face. And, you know, even as an adult, she didn't make a silly face at you, just to get you to smile,” Denise said.

And the memories, turned into reality, with how many people showed up to support her and her family.

“Oh, the funeral. So we thought 40-50 people [would show up.] Between the two time slots, we had almost 400 people who came. Surprisingly, I knew almost all of them and a lot of them,” said Denise.

Now, Denise is carrying on Willow’s legacy by telling others about Willow, advocating for safer driving, and helping families who are victims of crime.

When we asked her what families should do when a crime happens, she says be prepared to ask for help with things like funeral arrangements, lean on others, and get a lawyer.

“As a victim of crime, you gotta be patient. The police aren't gonna tell you anything [at first]. The prosecuting attorney we had, and the lawyer we had individually, was so supportive, and that was the only people that we were really getting information from,” said Denise.

She also says to give yourself time to breathe and grieve.

Through her grieving process, she says she was able to not only see Willow for who she really was, but how her spirit has continued to impact others.

“I'm really, really proud because it's difficult to raise a child that will friend anyone, no matter race, color, wealth, anything and I'm really, really proud of that. I'm really proud of it,” said Denise.

ABOUT MORE THAN A NUMBER 

More Than A Number is a Poynter-Stand Together award-winning project created by Justin Baxley designed to help families of loved ones impacted by tragedy and trauma interact with journalists in a less intrusive way. 

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